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RIM may have bought DataViz, locked out non-BlackBerry apps

updated 02:00 pm EDT, Mon September 6, 2010

by MacNN Staff

RIM buyout of DataViz gives Documents To Go

A leak suggests RIM may have quietly snapped up DataViz in a move that could shake up productivity apps on mobile devices. Multiple sources for CrackBerry say the BlackBerry maker acquired DataViz for $50 million. Although not publicly acknowledged by RIM, the LinkedIn profiles of multiple DataViz staff members have recently shown job switches to the Canadian company.

The deal may have already had repercussions on the mobile space, as DataViz has already dropped plans for a version of Documents To Go for webOS. No indications have been given that it will shed other versions, but RIM would have a strong incentive to drop versions for competing platforms, such as Android, iOS and Maemo. The iPhone port of Documents To Go has been seen as a possible threat to the BlackBerry since it has reduced the incentive to get one of RIM's handsets for work.

RIM has had a deep connection with DataViz as the home to one of the earliest editions of Documents To Go and regularly bundles a light version of the Office document editing suite with all its smartphones. A formal acquisition could see the full version either given away on all BlackBerry phones or else handed out in return for bulk deals, such as setting up a BlackBerry Enterprise Server.

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DataViz won't lose much money by killing the Android version. Piracy is too rampant in the Android Market for anyone to make big money. And Apple already has Pages available for iPad. An iPhone / iPod touch version can't be far away.

It's a logical move for RIM to make, but it may be too late to really matter (Documents to Go has become less and less essential as web based standards for document interchange have evolved) -- still, MacLink Plus (the desktop app) will be missed every couple of years or so, you know, when someone comes at you with a bunch of Ami Pro documents they need to revive...

Overall, a company who appears to have lost it's focus/future buying another company that was a co-rider on the road to irrelevance doesn't generate much hope, logical as the purchase was.

and it's stock is in the toilet, they sure have a lot of money to be throwing around. They're getting like Motorola. Let's not just ruin our company, we might as well take a few other companies down with us.

I wonder how much acquiring DataViz will help RIM to interest new investors and please current shareholders. At least whatever company buys RIM will get some additional value. RIM may get some serious offers when it gets into the $30 a share range. What a horrific fall RIM has taken this year. Sad year for Canada.

still, MacLink Plus (the desktop app) will be missed every couple of years or so, you know, when someone comes at you with a bunch of Ami Pro documents they need to revive...

Or perhaps some Appleworks documents, since Apple killed all read support for any documents not appleworks 6. And considering Apple's love-affair with getting rid of clutter, don't expect to always be able to open your Pages or Keynote 1.0 documents with every version of Pages or Keynote.

Don't now how actively DataViz is developing new convertors: but yes, in the cases you mention it would still have use. Primarily though, it's value was in being able to convert/update documents for which it was practically impossible to run a creator program.

But yes, valid examples.

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